Emily Dickinson Poems

Ashleigh, Bentley, Christina, Vicki, and Kaitlyn

The Bustle in a House

The Morning after Death Is solemnest of industriesEnacted upon the Earth—

The Sweeping up the Heart And putting Love away

We shall not want to use againUntil Eternity

Critical Thinking Questions

Question 1

What words does the speaker use to suggest everyday household chores?

Sweeping and putting things away

Question 2

To what type of chores is Dickinson really referring?

Moving on and setting aside your emotions.

Question 3

According to the second stanza, when will we again “use” the love we put aside on the morning after death?

We will use this love again in eternity.

Question 4

What might this suggest about Dickinson’s faith?

That she believes in life after death, or some type of an eternity.

Question 5

How does the line length function in this poem?

Shorter lines make you think more about the meaning of the poem because there is such little information.

What can you infer from the poem just from the title?

That there is something in the house that is very noisy.

Poem Structure

• Two stanzas• Four lines per stanza• Eight lines total

What is the story of the poem?Someone dies and there love

and memory is kept away.Who is the speaker? To whom is the

speaker speaking?A third party person; they’re

speaking to the reader.What is the mood of the poem? What

words give clues to the mood?Calm mood; “solemnest”

Are the stanzas related in any way? What do they have in common?

Stanzas are not really related but they refer to a dead person.

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? What kinds of rhymes are these?

ABCBDEFE; Slant rhyme (Death/Earth) (Away/Eternity)

Is there a rhythm to the poem? Slight rhythm

Success is Counted Sweetest

Success is counted sweetestBY those who ne’er succeed

To comprehend a nectarRequires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple HostWho took the Flag today

Can tell the definitionSo clear of Victory

A he defeated– dying– On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumphBurst agonized and clear!